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Scuttlecove
To say that the city of Scuttlecove is a ruptured boil on an otyugh's arse would be insulting to otyughs everywhere. On its best days, a commoner wandering the streets of Scuttlecove during the day would be lucky to make it an hour without being assaulted; and at night, the city is not quite that serene. Scuttlecove survives in the angry embrace of the Pirate Isles, a festering jungle archipelago on the very edge of civilisation – a word seldom associated with the pirate city itself. Scuttlecove is the evil heart of deviancy and smuggling, thievery and greed, the black capital of a dark collection of islands. Geography Scuttlecove is legendary among pirates as a place where any desire can be bought, any urge fulfilled, and any whim acted upon without fear of repercussion apart from the immediate. In other words, “If you can get away with it, do it!” Drug dealers, slave traders, and other terrible merchants flock to this city to make their fortunes, or they die trying. Roving bands of homeless pirates, uninspired thugs, and even the odd assassin find the place a perfect home; it's distance from the mainland keeps it free of the meddling attentions of the colonial empires. Left to its own devices and under the semi-watchful rule of the Holy Triad, the city might one day grow large enough to pose a military threat to neighbouring lands. Life in Scuttlecove Physically, Scuttlecove is a diseased, filthy pit of salty depression. The streets are often muddy and choked with rubble. Here and there, the odd corpse yet to be claimed by a starving pirate for soup base bakes in the sun. The buildings are almost all one-storey wooden affairs, with rickety walls, sagging roofs, and doorways consisting of strips of dried seaweed or cheap burlap. Those few buildings that can be construed as permanent are always the homes of powerful individuals or groups. After the citizenry itself, fire and disease are the greatest terrors known to the citizens of Scuttlecove. A fire is more or less the only thing that can rally the low lives of the city into anything resembling teamwork, since the buildings are so closely packed that an uncontrolled fire could do incredible damage. Disease is another matter; fully half of the citizens of Scuttlecove are afflicted with some sort of contagious disease – a natural result of cramming so many people together in a small place with nobody capable of keeping outbreaks in check. The few spell casters capable of removing diseases charge an extortionate rate to do so, and bodily health is thus a very expensive privilege. History The city was founded by a group of godless cannibals who fled persecution for their wicked crimes. They found an island named Sekorvia, and upon its southern shore they settled and founded the city of Scuttlecove. Economy Scuttlecove's economy would mostly be illegal elsewhere. The primary trade in the city is in drugs, stolen property, and slaves. The city's economy is anything but stable, driven mostly by the arrival of pirate ships laden with loot, and pirates all too eager to spend it. As a result, the majority of the city's buildings tend to be dilapidated, since their owners do not have the regular income necessary to keep their properties in good repair. Government & Politics In theory, Scuttlecove is ruled by its founders. Calling themselves the Holy Triad, Scuttlecove's founders are a trio of godless aristocrats who discovered a method to manipulate divine magic without having to resort to fawning over a god. These ur priests keep the details of their names and personal lives a closely-guarded secret, and rarely – if ever – venture out of their walled compound in the north of the city. What goes on inside that compound is the subject of many rampant rumours; the one thing these rumours seem to be able to agree upon is that the Holy Triad are cannibals who have discovered a way to increase their own power and strength by consuming the flesh of their kin. The Holy Triad hold nominal power over the city, although they are hardly the only centre of power in the city. They are served by the Monks of the Dire Hunger. These cannibalistic monks share the triad's belief that the only way to true enlightenment is through the consumption of the flesh of one's own species. They sporadically collect taxes, and run the city's few publicly-funded facilities. Perhaps the most powerful of the other factions is the Crimson Fleet, an organisation of pirates whose reach extends across Argyria and as far as Auria. The largest part of Scuttlecove's imports come from Crimson Fleet ships that use the port to sell off stolen cargoes. Yet despite its power, the Crimson Fleet has little control over the city's vices. Other factions operate these areas of sin. A sinister wizard named Kedward Bone is starting to corner the market of the city's drug trader – slowly driving other dealers and consortiums out of business. The city's prostitution is now controlled entirely by the notorious Porphyry House, a large brothel in the east of the city run by a squat woman named Wulvera. Many groups are involved in the city's slave trade. Indeed, it is one of the few major slave ports that isn't controlled by the Scarlet Brotherhood, and it attracts a great deal of trade on that basis. The most powerful is Seventh Coil, an organisation of yuan-ti slavers with links across the oceans. The Law Scuttlecove is an anarchy, seemingly without order. The strong have power over the weak, and the authorities offer no protection from the actions of others. The Holy Triad imposes no laws save one: open worship of the gods is a crime punishable by public execution. As a result, no organised, public temples stand in Scuttlecove. Magical healing is provided by the occasional mystic, or by an association of bards known as the Skindancers. Locations Scuttlecove Harbour: The wreck-choked harbour of Scuttlecove, and its first line of defence. Scuttlecove Docks: One of the few conveniences maintained by the Holy Triad, the docks offer free mooring to any ships. The waterfront is the place where much of the city's trade is conducted. Noyaro River: The filth-choked river that divides the eastern slums from the rest of the city. Scuttlecove Palace: The enormous, walled compound that is the home of the city's rulers, the Holy Triad. Its gates remain closed and its guards remain vigilant, and dark rumours abound of the terrible monsters within. Parts is Parts: Owned by the gnome Rhemus Caldakar, this shop sells body parts for magic and other purposes. Skindancer Academy: An ivory tower that houses an order of bards who specialise in exotic dancing, and needle-based stylistic torture of willing victims. They are also the city's primary healers. Kedward Bone's Tower: The tower of Scuttlecove's most powerful wizard, it is also a huge drug laboratory. The Tall House: Home and headquarters of Vurch Udderworth, Scuttlecove's most reprehensible slumlord, and the base of his small army of thugs/rent collectors. Scuttlecove Orphanage: A combined slave auction house and workhouse which buys in child slaves brought into the city by pirates. The Minting House: The base of operations of a gang of coin scrapers and counterfeiters, yet still the most reputable money changer in Scuttlecove. The Deacon's Aria: A large theatre that offers plays, stripteases, musicals, and displays of public torture. The Rattlebox: A tavern and beer hall with a cockfighting pit and various games of chance and skill for gambling. The Birdcage: The home of the Sisters of Lamentation, harpies who engage in torturous prostitution that is beyond the scope of Porphyry House. Scuttlecove Arena: Another publicly-funded building maintained by the Holy Triad, it serves as a method of public execution and also entertaining the population. Plaza of Hanging Ruin: A terrifying construction of metal and wooden beams in concentric squares, the plaza of hanging ruin is a place of public execution, where for the low price of 100 gp, any prisoner can be mounted here by the Monks of the Dire Hunger until they die. The Mausoleum: Manned by the Monks of the Dire Hunger, this is where the dead of Scuttlecove are brought to be disposed of. Porphyry House: The cleanest and most majestic building within Scuttlecove, the Porphyry House is probably the most successful brothel in the New World. The Rusty Shunt: A well-built, two-storey tavern run by a retired bounty hunter named Lars Landicaster who has a strict policy against harming paying customers. He asks no questions, and his tavern is one of the few safe places to stay in the city. Monastery of Dire Hunger: The grim monastery of the Monks of the Dire Hunger. Eralakni's Emporium: A miniature marketplace with expensive private booths that caters to adventurers. Red Foam Whaling: A whaling factory owned by a gang of pirates who specialise in stealing the hauls of whaling ships. The Violated Ogre: A tavern/inn for adventurers that gets its name from the main source of entertainment in the common room, an ogre mage bound and rendered incapable of magic, upon which patrons are encouraged to use torture equipment and perform amateur surgery. Category:Place Category:Settlement Category:City Category:Scuttlecove